Legend of Zelda The Dawn Blade
by WarrentheHero
Summary: Link's father has been gone for three weeks, and should have only been gone for ten days. An original story with new enemies, new items, new characters, and most important of all, a new evil to destroy the world. I greatly appreciate reviews of any sort. I'd also like to thank user Xannah for being a pre-reviewer. She's looked over a lot of the chapters before I've published them.
1. Chapter 1: Missing

**Chapter 1: Missing**

Link's eyes opened. He sat up straight.

"Dad?" He called out. He was answered by silence. Link swiveled in his bed and stood up. He walked through the house, searching each room.

Every call of "Dad?" was met with increasingly worrying silence.

He returned to his room, donned a tunic and shoes, and left the empty house, not even bothering to to change his pants.

It was about 10 O'clock, which was relatively late for the small agricultural Darinayse Village. He moved quickly towards the mayor's house.

This day marked the end of the third week since his father's departing to Castle Town. It was a four day trip, and he was only going to be there long enough to sell his wares. It should have been ten days at a maximum.

He knocked on the mayor's door. After a few moments, the heavy oak portal swung open and the mayor's image appeared.

He was a large man, massive from years of intense physical activity. He helped found this town, cultivating the land, making hard dirt blossom with life.

At the sight of Link's dreary form, tired from long nights of staying up waiting for his father's return and hard days full of farming and herding.

"Link, ma' boy!" He said, feigning cheerfulness. "How are ya'?"

Link looked up at him, his eyes pleading for the Mayor to drop the act. "Have you heard from my father?" he asked simply.

The Mayor's face darkened. "Ehh, no. We've sent a messenger to Castle Town, though, a few days ago. He should be back soon."

"I don't want a messenger, Mayor." Link said, angry at the whole damned situation. "I want my dad. I'm taking Epona and I'm going to Castle Town."

"Link, I don't think you should-" The Mayor began, but he was cut off by Link's abrupt turn.

He followed Link back up to the young man's house where Link gathered a few days' worth of supplies. He was spouting protests all the while, but Link remained silent and adamant, even as he belted his scabbard about his waist and sheathed the sword he himself made.

Link walked outside, letting the Mayor close the door. He untied Epona from the post where she was tethered, though she was loyal enough that the tether was unnecessary. Link picked up her saddle from where it was placed on the fence and secured it onto her, all the while bearing silently the Mayor's protests.

Link mounted his horse, and rode off silently, away from the village, away from his home, away from the Mayor and his protests, and towards his Father.


	2. Chapter 2: Outpost

Chapter 2: Outpost

Link rode all the first day without stopping, pushing Epona as far as she'd go. They stopped at nightfall, camping out under small rocky overhang.

He took the saddle off and placed it carefully on a nearby rock that, conveniently enough, slightly resembled a horse's back. He tied Epona up to a tree, then grimaced and untied her as he heard thunder overhead. He brought her under the overhang, and managed to find a way to secure her.

Again, he knew it was unnecessary, but he did it anyway.

He took a sleeping roll from one of the horse's saddlebags, and laid it on the ground. He took a feeding bag from another and filled it with a feed from a bag in yet another saddlebag. He put it around Epona's head and she ate ravenously.

It was a special, mushy, feed Link himself made, and its physical components fed her while the water that made it sloshy quenched her.

Link lit a small candle and placed it and its holder on a small, flat rock nearby. He climbed into his sleeping roll and quickly fell asleep.

**-May the Way of the Hero Lead to the TriForce-**

Link awoke to the sound of Epona's distressed whinnies. He jumped from the sleeping roll and saw immediately three men dressed head-to-toe in black harassing Epona.

He looked to the side, where he laid his sword last night, and realized it wasn't there. Instead, he sprung forward, toward the closest assailant, and dove downward, taking out his foe's legs. None of them had noticed his consciousness before now, so he had the element of surprise.

Before any could react, Link was already on hands and toes like an animal, analyzing his surroundings. There was a man on the other side of the frenzied Epona, one that was previously attempting to free Epona's rope from the heavy rocks it was secured between, and the one still flat on his back that Link had just tackled.

Like a wolf, Link was in action. He delivered a heavy blow to the rope-wrangler's jaw and stood in the same motion in an uppercut-left hook combo. He planted a foot, pivoted, and a weighty kick connected with the ribs of the man on the ground.

He pivoted again and slammed a hammerlike fist into the gut of the one that had already felt Link's wrath in his cheek.

Link turned towards the man on the other side of the struggling Epona. The man faked left, then moved right. They each revolved around Epona for a short while, until the man once again had his back facing the interior of the overhang.

Link whistled a short four-note tune that started a song that Epona liked, and she calmed down a little. Link took the opportunity to slide over Epona's back towards the man. The man tried to move out of the way, but Link's reflexes were too quick, and he caught a boot in his back as he fled.

He stumbled, allowing Link to hook his leg under the man's own, tripping him. Link dropped to his knees, straddling the man's prone form and brought both fists together and slammed them down on the man's back.

Then the man disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. Link looked around, and saw no-one. Not the man nor his previous foes. He stood, and searched the area vigorously. Not a one to be seen, though he did find his sword.

By the time he returned to Epona, day had struck, so he saddled her up, packed his things, and moved the heavy rocks that had kept Epona's rope in place.

They rode, at a slower pace than the day before. Link tried to sort out the events of the morning as they went.

Three 'men', completely in black. He couldn't even see their faces, for even the eyes were covered. He began to doubt if they were men at all, or more like three-dimensional shadows. The more he thought about the way they looked as the adrenaline died down, the more that's what they resembled.

He feared that's what may have happened to his father, but quickly tossed the thought aside. His father was a skilled swordsman, who went to Castle Town to sell the dozens of blades he had forged in Darinayse Village. His father would not have succumbed to such simple threats.

They rode on.

**-May the Way of the Hero Lead to the TriForce-**

They reached Konaluth Outpost at around noon. It was a small town formed as a rest stop for travelers. It was two days from Castle Town, two days from Darinayse Village, three days from Kakariko, four from the Lost Woods, and one from Lake Hylia. Despite the constant flow of traffic, it remained a small town, as few were there for long.

They rode up through the main road of the town that was in fact the road they'd been following and that lead to Castle Town. Strangely, no-one was around to be seen.

Link dismounted Epona and led her to a nearby Inn. He looked in the window. No-one.

He tied Epona to a post and went in. He went outside and into the nearby general store. Not a single being.

He walked back out.

"Hello?" he called loudly. No answer.


	3. Chapter 3: Shadows

**Chapter 3: Shadows**

Link stood, rather dumbfounded, in the middle of Konaluth Outpost. There was no-one to be seen. Absolutely no-one. He walked towards Epona, untied her, and led her towards the edge of the Outpost, moving onwards towards their goal of Castle Town.

But before they cleared the last of the town's unusually long shadows, Link stopped. He had seen something, a brief flash of movement in the shadows. He put his hand on the handle of his sword.

"Hello?" he called again.

Epona whinnied, and Link spun and took a step. That step may very well have saved his life, for a being dropped to the ground where Link just was.

Link turned to face this surprise. It looked similar to the things he fought before, but it was… darker. Eviler, it seemed.

The thing was standing uncomfortably close to him. Then, it opened its mouth. Its jaw split impossibly wide; seemingly halfway back was where the parting finally stopped. It had massive, white, sharp teeth, teeth that shouldn't have been able to fit in that mouth. The inside of the mouth was pitch-black, as if nothing was there, just a void, save for a long, tendril-like tongue. It smiled.

The thing licked Link's face. Long and slow, moving slowly up the side of his face.

Link shuddered, unable to move.

But then he snapped out of it, and with one deft motion, whipped his sword out and simultaneously cut the creature's chest. But it was fast, and what would have spilt the blood of a normal man only left a mere scratch.

Link noticed now that this shadow being was also abnormally slim, and its hands were more like bestial claws.

It moved in a flash, raking and scratching at Link, who was only just barely able to keep himself from harm.

But Link, trained by an expert swordsman, kept his composure and fended off each strike, waiting for an opening.

And soon one came. The creature, in its frenzied assault, lurched its head forward, trying to bite at Link, who simply moved his upper body back. Still, the teeth snapped shut just an inch from Link's throat.

However, the creature was off-balance, and above Link's legs. Link shot up his knee and felt with grim satisfaction as it connected, sending the thing up in the air slightly.

This was all that Link needed. He brought himself out from the close proximity he was in, retracted his blade, gripped it with both hands, and sent it straight towards the monster's chest.

The blade dug deep in the thing's chest, and the beast paused, smiling. It stared at Link, despite have no visible eyes, and cocked its head.

Link responded with a right hook, powerful despite being his off-hand. The blow stunned his foe slightly, and Link put a heavy boot on its chest, and used the leverage to push it to the ground and pull his blade free.

As it struck the ground though, the being seemed to melt into the shadows.

Link, suddenly knowing what was about to happen, yelled "Epona! Go!", pointing towards outside of the Outpost, where there were no shadows. Link also leapt to the light, not wanting to be anywhere for long.

But just before he was out, something grabbed ahold of his ankle, and Link fell forward. He spun on the ground and kicked at the hand that was grasping him and sticking out of the shadowy ground. Its grip loosened, and Link scrambled to safety. But to his horror, dozens -_dozens_- of the things emerged from the shadows, pulling themselves up from the ground and out of walls.

But these new arrivals, Link slowly realized, were more like the creatures he fought at the overhang. They weren't like the creature that he had just engaged with, which stood in the front of this small army.

The shadow beings all began to move towards Link, but the lesser ones stopped at the edge of the shadow, while the apparent leader continued towards Link.

Link held his sword out in front of him, trusting in its steel and his father's tutelage. Like before, the shadow beast rushed Link.

This time, however, Link was ready, and crouched, drawing his blade closer to himself. As it approached, Link moved slightly, and then when it was above him, Link shot upwards, sending the tip of his weapon into its belly.

But at the same time this happened, it bit deep into Link's shoulder. Link grimaced in pain, but held fast. He adjusted the angle of his sword, and sent the rest of the blade up and out of his enemy's back.

It seemed to be in pain, but made no sound still. Link twisted the blade, and was responded with by the thing's claws gripping and digging into his arms.

The two stood there for a while, neither able to do anything about the other's actions, and both keeping the other from doing anything.

But Link could make a sound, and whistled, long and deep, with one high note in the middle. He smiled with satisfaction as he heard the rush of hooves.

Epona smashed into the beast, sending it to the ground and Link down with it.

However, Link managed to scramble away from it. He stood, and as it was regaining its senses, he kicked it savagely in the torso and head multiple times. When it rolled to its back, Link tore his sword from its body.

Link held his sword over his head, and brought it down, decapitating the thing in one clean stroke. It' body didn't dissipate as the others' did before. Instead, it slowly flattened, leaving a silhouette of its body and head where they lay on the ground.

Link straightened, groaning at the pain in his shoulder as the adrenaline faded away. He was bleeding heavily, made worse by the fact that it was in his dominant hand. He possessed a good amount of ambidexterity, but still preferred his left hand.

He looked up to Konaluth Outpost. All of the shadow beings were gone, replaced by normal-looking humans. Link blushed though, despite the battle that just happened, and turned his head away.

They were all in the nude.

Link heard a shriek and figured they had regained full awareness.

**-May the Way of the Hero Lead to the TriForce-**

Link gratefully took the plate that was offered him by the Mayor's wife.

Apparently the denizens of the Outpost were able to remember everything that transpired while they were as shadow beings, and so all of them were very grateful to Link, to the point of dressing his wound and allowing him to spend the night I the Mayor's house with his family.

"So what brings you here to Konaluth Outpost? Heading to Castle Town?" the Mayor asked.

Link finished his bite of Cucco and replied, "Yes. I'm looking for my father."

"What do you mean by that?" The Mayor's wife asked, concerned.

Link hesitated, not sure whether to tell them the truth. He looked around at their concerned faces, and said "He went to Castle Town three weeks ago. We live in Darinayse Village. He should have returned after ten days."

The table was silent.

"Oh. What was his name?" the Mayor asked.

"Gideon. He's a blacksmith. He makes swords and sells them at Castle Town. He's made this trips dozens of times before. But this time, he's…" Link trailed off, not knowing what to say.

The table was silent again.

"Well," the daughter said, trying to change topics. "You're a great swordsman. You took care of that thing like it was nobody's business!"

"That thing was really fast. It knocked each of us out and then, we woke up to see you two fighting." The Mayor said.

"Its claws were as sharp as my blade," Link said, recalling the pain of them digging into his upper arm.

"I wonder what it was." The daughter said, and a third time the table fell quiet, all thinking of their own encounters with it.

"Well, it's late. I'm going to go get some sleep. There's a town meeting tomorrow to discuss this, and I'm sure you want to get going early in the morning for Castle Town, Link." The Mayor said, standing. He went upstairs to his room, and his wife collected the various plates strewn about the table.

Link thanked her, and the mayor's daughter showed him to the guest room. The bed was comfy, and Link slept peacefully all through the night.


	4. Chapter 4: Castle Town

**A/N: Darinayse is pronounced Dair-inn-ace. Konaluth is pronounced Kohn-uh-looth. If you want a world map in your head, I think of it largely as the Twilight Princess map (Gamecube, so Lake Hylia and Gerudo Desert are in the west). I haven't fully worked out the map in my own head, though, so if my writing ends up contradictory to this at any point, I apologize. It means this is out of date. **

**There's been a note or two about not going into detail or simply rushing. If I leave out plot details, that's for a reason, and they'll be filled in as we go along. As for smaller details, the scents, sights, things like that, usually, if I don't purposefully describe it, it means I'm letting your brain fill in the gaps, to make the world and story more unique to the reader. If you don't like this style of writing, let me know, and I'll try to change it.**

**Chapter 4: Castle Town**

Link arrived in Castle Town two days after he left Konaluth Outpost. He had asked the innkeeper if she had seen his father, but she didn't remember her. It was no surprise, though, for she certainly wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

As he approached it, he was overwhelmed by the scale of the city. It was massive, at least ten times the size of his Darinayse Village. The off-white stone outer wall itself must have been fifty feet tall, taller than his own house. Link dismounted, wanting his first steps I Castle Town to be with his own two feet.

As Link walked through the massive open doors, a Guard called from a small booth nestled inside the wall, "Hey! You can't bring that horse into Town!" he said, sounding rather bored. "You can put it in the Stables, down that way." He said, pointing.

Link looked to the left, seeing a large fenced-off area with several stable stalls and one small hut. It spanned the entire width of the inner field, from the outer wall where Link stood to the moat just outside of the inner wall and the city. Link walked over, guiding Epona alongside him. The small hut was outside the fence, and had a person inside of it.

Link walked up to it to see a woman with long red hair.

"I was told my horse, Epona, needs to stay here while I'm in Castle Town." Link said.

"Oh yes", she responded. "Stupid policy, but at least I get to meet so many new horses!" she said. "I take it you'll be here short-term?" she asked, looking more at Epona than Link.

"Yes." Link told her.

"Well, I'll be right out," she said, and left the hut out of a door in the back. Now outside of the hut, Link could see she was wearing a long dark blue skirt with yellow patterns at the bottom and a white blouse. Her long red hair reached down to the small of her back.

The fence ended in the middle of the hut, so the front and Link were on the outside, and the back and the girl were on the inside. She moved to a gate and unlocked it, coming though.

"If you'll hand me her reigns, I'll take your Epona to a stable to be held." She said, petting Epona's mane. Epona seemed to instantly take a liking to her. Link hesitated to hand her the reigns nonetheless.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine. I make sure each horse gets exercise, food water, and is able to run around each day." She smiled.

Something about her smile won Link over. He handed her the reigns, and followed her as she led Epona to one of the stalls in one of the stables. She put Epona in one of the stalls and closed the gate.

"Stable 3, stall four, okay?" she said, turning towards link.

"Yeah, okay." Link said. "Easy to remember, huh? Middle stable, she's in three-four."

The girl began walking back towards the gate. "Is there anything special she like? A way she's brushed, a certain scratching spot?"

"Well," Link said, following her. "She likes this little tune. He then whistled a simple, ten-note song, and heard Epona sigh the way she always does when the song is done to completion.

"That's a nice little tune," she said, and whistled it herself. Yes, I like it. I'll remember it."

By that time, they had reached the gate. Link walked through and she closed and locked it behind him before going back inside the hut.

"Come back and get her when you're done." She said, smiling again.

Link walked off, toward the inner wall, the moat, and the lowered drawbridge. And maybe, his father.

**-May the Way of the Hero Lead to the TriForce-**

Link paid the woman behind the counter the ten rupees she wanted for the night. He decided to rent a room at an inn for the night. Not a single person he had asked, neither guard nor citizen, had seen his father. Despite this depressing setback, Link did enjoy Castle Town.

There were far more people than he was used to seeing at once. There were hundreds of them, but Castle Town was large enough to accommodate them all. There were dozens of shops, and seemed like nearly all of what he saw were stores and stalls and things to buy.

But looming over all of this, was the humongous Hyrule Castle. When he looked to it, it filled most of the sky, and its massive center tower must have been over three hundred feet tall. It had the one massive spire in the center, and three smaller towers forming a triangle around it, two towards the front and one towards the back. The stone of the building was white, and all of the roofs were royal blue shingles.

On the wall above the main entrance was a massive golden Crest of Hyrule, designed as an eagle. It had two feet and a tail, three feathers on each wing, and a TriForce instead of a head and torso. It was very large, dwarfing the statue of it that was above the fountain in the main plaza of the Castle Town market.

Link wondered what the Castle was like that night, and wondered what Princess Zelda was like, and if he'd ever get to meet her.


	5. Chapter 5: Zelda

**A/N: Due to some feedback I've received, both on and off the site, from here on out I'm going to attempt to describe the world more, and be more vivid. My typical writing style is to leave gaps to be filled in by the reader as they wish, but it would seem that's unwanted. I'll do what I can. Let me know if it's not enough. Reviews of any sort are still appreciated.**

**Chapter 5: Zelda**

Link walked through the streets of Castle Town. It was marvelous. There were market stalls everywhere, selling wares like apples, bananas, wooden carvings, and many things Link did not even recognize.

"Hey, you!" a man called out to Link. "You seem like a fine young man."

Link stopped and looked around. There were no other boys his age.

"Over here." The voice said, behind him.

Link turned. There was a man sitting behind a rectangular wooden table. Displayed on the table, the nearby ground, and resting against the wall behind him, was all manners of musical instruments. There were lutes, guitars, drums, various forms of flutes, and several Link didn't know the names of.

"You, young man. You look like you have no problems with the ladies!" the merchant said, scratching his meager beard. He was wearing a purple shirt, and a small purple cap over his slicked-back black hair. He was a larger man who seemed used to luxury.

"Uhm… what?" Link said, slightly confused. He never really thought about girls in a romantic way, and the statement caught him off guard.

"Well, you're tall, handsome, you have your own sword. What wouldn't they like?" the merchant went on. "Or am I mistaken?" he said, almost insultingly.

"Well, I never, I mean… what?" Link said, still unsure of what was happening and what was being asked of him.

"Well, maybe I am mistaken. But you know what the girlies love? A man who can play an instrument!" the man said, waving his arm over his instruments.

Link finally understood. The man was confusing him, trying to make him think he needed to buy something. He turned and continued down the street.

"Ah, well. The next one'll buy for sure," he heard the man say behind him. A moment later, a sound rang out. Then another. The notes were beautiful. They were crisp, clear, and together, they weaved an enchanting spell over Link. He had never heard such a sound before. Link stopped and turned to see the man with a small object held to his lips.

Link moved closer, wanting to ask the man about the small woodwind, but not wanting the music to stop. Eventually, the man noticed the youth standing there, and stopped playing of his own accord.

"Like that, eh?" the merchant said, instantly trying to take advantage of the situation. "It's called an ocarina. Little clay flute." He held the ocarina out to link to inspect. It was a small circle, with one small protrusion where the player blew into. There were many small holes in the top of the little thing.

"Want one?" the merchant asked.

"Yes." Link said, reaching for his wallet.

"Thirty rupees," the man said, pulling out a blue oblong one, with a small yellow TriForce on top. "That comes with the ocarina, a rope to put it on, and a little sheet with a few small songs on it.

"Thirty?" Link said, finding the price somewhat high.

"Yes, thirty." The merchant replied, sounding slightly annoyed. Link thought about it for a while. He had on him one hundred and six rupees, and thirty would put a considerable dent in that. And yet, something about the sounds the ocarina made enchanted him. He took the deal.

Link immediately looked at the paper he was given. It had lines of little symbols, each a circle with various dots, some solid black, others hollow white. He quickly figured out that each black dot corresponded to a covered hole on his new porcelain ocarina.

He found a table nearby that had no-one and nothing near it. He set the paper down and began playing his ocarina. The notes rang out, weaker and more strained than the merchant's, but still they sang.

"Wow kid. You're a natural," the merchant said. "For a first-timer, that's pretty good. That's really good."

Link, pleased, played for a short while longer before moving on to the next are of Castle Town.

**-May the Way of the Hero Lead to the TriForce-**

Link continued with his day, occasionally playing quick songs on his new instrument. He continued to ask if anyone had seen his father, and grew increasingly depressed and saddened as more and more people told him they hadn't seen him. Some people knew of him, but hadn't seen him since his last visit.

Feeling overwhelmed by this relentless disappointments, Link went to the main square of the city (which was more like a circle), and sat on the edge of the large fountain that took up the square's center. In the middle of the fountain, raised on a small pillar, was a large statue of the Hyrule Kingdom crest. Surrounding it were several of the more expensive shops Link had seen in Castle Town, as well as some stalls and booths in between. The plaza also had a gate that led directly to the Hyrule Castle.

Link laid the music sheet on the fountain wall beside him, and began playing various songs. Apparently people thought he was some form of beggar or street performer, as he found some people lightly tossing rupees at him. Link didn't complain or object, and simply kept playing his instrument.

After a while, he saw two guards leave Hyrule Castle. They walked down the long flight of steps leading to the castle, and unlocked and went through the gate. They walked up to Link.

"Sir." One of them said.

Link looked up, expecting them to tell him to stop playing his ocarina. Link began putting away his flute.

"We need you to come with us." The same guard said.

Now Link was confused.

"What? Me? What have I done?" he said, worried that he may have been mistaken for someone else.

"The boy in a green shirt asking about Gideon?" the other guard said, shifting slightly in his heavy plate armor.

"Yes. That's me." Link said, standing.

"Come with us." The first guard said. He turned and began walking back towards the Castle. Link hesitated to follow, which caused the other guard to roughly grab his arm and shove him along. Link began walking behind the first guard, and the telltale clanking of armor told him that the second guard was following behind him.

Link noticed that he was being watched by the bystanders, and tried to tuck his head back within himself. He also noted that the guards' swords were made by his father. This thought, despite the fact that he was being escorted by guards to the Castle, comforted him somewhat.

The trio walked up to the Castle without speaking a word. As they approached, Link craned his head to look at the titanic crest that adorned the castle.

The sound of the heavy doors opening brought Link's vision back to eyelevel. The doors parted before the three, pushed open by guards inside. They too, Link saw, were using swords made by his father. He tried to think back to other guard he had seen in Castle Town. No, they hadn't been using Gideon's swords. Perhaps only specifically Castle Guards were allowed to use them.

The heavy doors led to a grand chamber, whose high roof was supported by large marble pillars. An expansive red carpet covered most of the floor, and had gilded patterns around the edge. Massive windows, some stained-glass, lined the sides of the room symmetrically, and the carpet led to a throne .

The throne was made of a substance Link didn't recognize, but it appeared similar to the surrounding marble. Above the char was a large stone TriForce, each segment supported by one of the Golden Goddesses. A carved sword bisected the TriForce statue, with its blade pointing downward.

Seated on the throne was a beautiful woman. She was in a dress whose top was a regal violet and split into an inverted "V" at the bottom, flowing into a long white skirt. In the middle of the skirt hung a small banner-like piece of cloth with various patterns, as well as a Triforce and a Hyrule Eagle. On each shoulder was a golden shoulder pad, which continued the straightness of her shoulders. She wore on each arm a long glove that went up to her upper arm.

She had brown hair that fell to her upper back, and had two braids of it wrapped in the front, one on each side. Atop her angular Hylian face rested a golden crown which twisted slightly as it wrapped around her head. In the center of it was a gleaming golden triangle. She spoke.

"You are the one that has been looking for Gideon?" Her voice was soft, yet firm at the same time. It floated like a summer breeze to Link's pointed ears.

"Y-yes. I, I am." Link stammered. It was difficult to speak in the presence of such beauty and power.

"Why are you searching for him?" she asked. Link could sense the importance of his answer, and knew that it may very well lead to him finding his father.

"He is my father." Link said, summoning some courage to talk straight. "He is a blacksmith from Darinayse Village. He occasionally comes to Castle Town to sell his swords." She nodded, and Link knew she already knew this information, but felt like he needed to speak it anyway. "He should only have been gone for around ten days. He's been gone for three weeks."

"Three weeks?" she said, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Link responded.

She was quiet for a long moment, apparently deep in thought.

"Guards." She said at length. "Leave us. I must speak with this boy alone." The guards seemed reluctant to leave her alone with this stranger boy, but complied.

She waved, beckoning Link to move closer. He did so.

"Do you know anything about my father?" Link asked, staring determinedly straight into her eyes.

"No. But I need to." She said. "This is why he should have listened to my mother and stayed in Castle Town," she said, mostly to herself.

"How do you- or your mother –know my father?" Link asked.

The woman sighed. She didn't want to tell this youth, but she had to at this point.

"Your father is no simple blacksmith. Your father is Knight of Hyrule."

Link thought this over for a short while.

"Why is a soldier so important?" Link asked, not fully understanding.

She sighed again. "No ordinary soldier. A Knight of Hyrule is the highest line of defense, the greatest of all of Hyrule's soldiers. There are two left of the bloodline that we know of. Gideon, and, being his son, you."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with my father's disappearance." Link said, beginning to get agitated.

"Nor do I. But it is if great import that we find him."

"But why is he so important? I don't mean to say that I don't want to find him, but why is he so important?" Link said.

"Both of you are. Knights of Hyrule have inherent abilities, special abilities that make them unique. Chief among which is their supernatural courage. But they have other properties too, and they are an integral part of many of Hyrule's secrets."

Link was about to say more, but then a loud crash from outside caught both of their attention.

There was the sounds of yelling and screaming, and something heavy impacted one of the doors. Then silence.

After a few moments, one of the doors swung open.

There stood a tall man with green skin and red hair. He wore black armor, a purple cape, and a red gem gleamed in his chestpiece and each gauntlet he wore. On his forehead was some strange object of gold that hung down from his hair. He wielded a heavy sword with a black blade. He said one word, and it sounded almost as a snarl:

"Zelda."


	6. Chapter 6: Tempest

**Chapter 6: Tempest**

From seemingly nowhere, guards came rushing forth, bearing weapons and shields. They charged him, at least a dozen of them. They hacked and slashed, but his armor was superior. They tried to avoid his blows, but his blade was too quick. He slashed a wide arc with his blade, from his left to his right, downing at least three guards in one stroke.

His unarmed hand glowed with a coalescing purple aura, and he slammed his fist into a guard, who in his armor, couldn't be fast enough to avoid the hit. He was sent flying, the front of his armor buckled in. He landed near Link, with his sword and shield town from his grasp and lying beside him.

Link saw that the collapsed armor was restricting the man's breathing. Link ran over to him and tried to undo the leather straps connecting the chest plate and the back of the armor. But it was a fickle mechanism, and Link resorted to drawing his sword and cutting the strap. He moved the chestpiece off of the man, who began breathing more regularly.

When Link looked up, the other guards had all fallen. Knowing he had to protect the Princess, picked up the guards steel shield, adorned with blue, red, and gold markings, and faced the intruder. His left hand began to glow.

He looked down at it. A TriForce symbol had appeared on the back of his hand, and was glowing softly. It shone in a golden radiance. Both the man and Zelda seemed rather surprised by this, but after a moment, the man only grinned.

The man rushed forth, but Link was quick, and Link ducked under the heavy downward slash. He whipped behind his foe and slammed his pommel on the man's back as hard as he could, knowing his blade would be useless against the superior armor.

The blow seemed to knock some air out of the man's lungs, but he shook it off and stood. He swung his weapon in a heavy arc behind him, spinning as he did so.

Link managed to put up his shield, but the force of even only narrowly being hit sent his right arm flying, bringing the rest of Link with it. Link regained his footing and stood, facing his opponent.

The man moved forward, attempting to feign an upward slash, but Link saw through the ruse and bent back, ducking under what instead became a horizontal strike. Link straightened, and took advantage of his foe's slight overbalancing, and swung his sword, slicing through a small opening in the plates of armor.

But his blade bounced off. There was chainmail under the armor, he realized. He realized to, that his current tactics wouldn't work. He'd have to aim for the head.

But as Link regained himself after the botched hit, a heavy knee caught him in the stomach. He took a few steps back, hunched over.

The man's hand glowed again with that same evil aura, and Link knew that if he was hit by this, he would certainly fall unconscious, and a hit to the head may very well just kill him outright.

He saw the blow coming, and his hand shone brighter.

He lost control of his body for a moment. It spun under the blow, almost wrapping around the outstretching arm. His body impossibly brought his sword to bear, following through the dodge with a stab to the man's stomach.

The blade was again met with chainmail, but the force of the blow still drove the man back some.

Link righted himself, gaining control once more over his body.

"That was pretty good, kid," the man said, smiling. "But you'll have to be better than that to beat me!" The man straitened, and hurled his sword into a pillar. The weapon crashed into the marble with extreme force, and the whole thing began falling towards Link.

Link began to sidestep it, but noticed that the man he helped earlier would be crushed by it. Link dropped his blade and shield and rushed forward, scooping the man up and moving out of the way, just barely avoiding getting crushed. But now he was weaponless, and the only way to it would be over the large pillar that just fell.

The man smiled, and rushed Link, who only barely managed to dodge each thrust and blow that came at him, moving faster than he ever had before.

"What are you doing here, boy?" The man asked without slowing his assault. "Shouldn't you be looking for your daddy?" he growled.

Link stopped, and was met with a powerful punch to the jaw. He went reeling backwards, and a heavy boot slammed into his back, sending him flying forwards and onto the ground. On the ground, Link rolled over onto his back, to see the man approaching him menacingly.

"It's your lucky day, boy." the man said. "I'm not here for you, and you fought well." He turned, and began walking towards the Princess. Link began crawling away, towards the base of the collapsed pillar.

"Princess," the man said. "I think you know why I'm here."

"I'll not tell you anything." She said, resolutely.

"You'll regret that."

"I won't."

"Tell me where the Blade is, and I'll leave."

"Never."

"Oh well," the man said, and held his blade out towards her. "Your choice".

But before he could do anything, Link's shield slammed into him from above. While he had been talking with Zelda, Link retrieved his arms and climbed atop the fallen pillar. He leapt through the air and slammed his shield into the man's head, stunning him.

"Leave, Princess!" he said.

But the man recovered quicker than expected, and an aura-empowered boot slammed into Link.

Link was lucky enough to have been holding his shield close to his bod, and as he spun through the air, it was the shield that first impacted the statue behind the throne. The entire structure shattered, but not onto Link, as he had flown clear through it. He lay dazed on the other side. His hand stopped glowing.

The man again approached Zelda, but stopped when something caught his eye. He moved instead towards the rubble of the statue, and picked up a rectangular stone from it. He smiled.

"Clever," he remarked, memorizing what was on the tablet. "Hiding it inside the statue."

Having obtained the information he needed from the slate, he threw it onto the ground, shattering it. He crushed the pieces under his boot, turned, climbed over the pillar, and began walking away.

"Clever." He said again.


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations

**Chapter 7: Revelations**

Link fought to stay awake for many minutes. He almost stood once, but it seemed as if his side would not support his upper body, and he was forced to lay back down, whereafter falling unconscious.

Link awoke several hours later, though how long he himself didn't know. He was awake, yet his eyes stayed shut.

The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer on the stone floor of the main hall. He was now lying on a soft surface, like a bed or couch. The room was warm, and there was a scent of roses coming from nearby. It was faint, yet close.

He cracked his eyes open slightly, and saw a face hovering over him. He opened his fully and saw before him Zelda, wearing a concerned expression. Her hair was draped over one side of her head, falling near Link's face.

"Wha- what happened?" Link asked, his mind slowly returning to him.

"That man," she started, drawing away slightly so she wasn't directly above him. "He took an ancient table hidden in the throne. It contained the location of an ancient temple, where a great evil is hidden."

"Why is an evil hidden there?" Link asked, drawing himself up to his elbows. The world swirled slightly, but he regained his senses quickly.

He was sitting in a bed with purple sheets. Above him was a canopy, from which hung a thin purple veil. Most of the furniture of the room, which consisted of a table, a chair, a night table, a vanity, and a dresser, was white with purple accents.

"There was an ancient evil, once. It was a Demon sorcerer of shadow. Its name was Nerexis. It led an army of conjured shadows against the forming Hyrule. It was only stopped by a Hero in Green, who wielded a blade made of the light of the morning Dawn.

"It was the only blade that appeared to be able to damage the demon. However, the Hero was not able to kill the demon. The demon placed a curse on the sword, keeping it from killing him. However, the Hero impaled the demon, running the blade through and embedding itself into the wall behind. The demon did not die, but was placed in a state of deep slumber, unmoving as long as he is impaled.

"But this man found the map leading to the Temple of Dawn. That can only mean one thing. But the sword cannot be touched by evil. He cannot remove it. Only one that is pure, like a Knight of-" She stopped.

"Hyrule." Link finished. "My father."

There was a long silence; both unmoving as the implications of this thought slowly worked itself through their minds.

"Do you know where the Temple is?" Link asked, hoping there was a way they could salvage the situation.

"Yes." She said, seemingly gaining confidence.

Link sat fully up, and noticed that the TriForce on the back of his hand was still there, but it wasn't glowing anymore.

"What is this?" Link asked, showing Zelda his hand.

She looked at it, and closed her eyes for a long time.

"O Hero, chosen by the Goddesses. The Protector of Hyrule, Hero in Green. The Goddesses have marked you as the one to save the land." She said, as if reciting a child's tale. She opened her eyes. "You are marked by the Goddesses to do something great in your life. It would seem that stopping this man, is that great thing."

Link was quiet and thought about his fight.

"That man was toying with me, when we fought." Link said, staring at Zelda, daunted by the skill of his foe. He had managed to get some blows in, definitely, but the man had practically allowed it. And his armor prevented Link from actually doing anything.

Zelda reflected on this for a moment.

"Do you think that if you get better, you have a chance?" she asked.

Link thought about this, reviewing the fight wholly. "Yes, yes I think so." He said. "But it will take a lot of time."

"We don't have much." She responded. "In fact, we need to move soon. We need to get there before that man does."

Link swung his feet out over the bed, and stood. He noticed something about himself, and stopped moving.

"Where are my clothes?" he asked. He was wearing white pants that were rather form-hugging and a white shirt. Not his normal clothes.

"They got torn up in the fight. I had a servant dress you. Come with me," she said, standing. She left her room, and Link followed, closing the door behind him. He thought it would be a strange sight; the Princess, in all of her regal attire, her beautiful dress, her perfumed hair, her golden accessories, and Link, padding behind her barefoot, dressed in nothing more than a shirt and a pair of white pants.

She led him to an apparently empty room connected to the throne room. She shut the door behind them.

It was empty, and lit dimly from an unknown source. Inscribed into the wall was a single TriForce, and no other obvious feature. Zelda removed her tiara, and pressed the inlaid gem into the center triangle. The TriForce's outline began to glow a soft yet brilliant gold. She place her right hand on the lower-left triangle. The light grew stronger, and some seemed to be emanating from the triangles themselves and not just the outlines. She beckoned Link to put his hand on the lower-right.

Link did so, and when he did, the entire TriForce began glowing brightly. The glow expanded from the TriForce to cover a door-sized section of the wall, and then the wall and light slowly faded out of existence. Behind where the wall once was, there was an entryway to another room. Link walked in, followed by Zelda.

Inside was a suit of chainmail, a green tunic, a belt, a back-strapped sword scabbard, thick leather gloves and thick leather boots.

Link donned the clothes, slipping the chainmail over his white shirt. Chainmail would normally be heavy and scratchy, but this wasn't. It was like wearing a cool shirt. Next was the green tunic, which slid easily over the chainmail, not catching even once on the links. He clipped the belt to his waist, and slid the scabbard over his back. Finally were the leather gloves and boots. They were easy to slip on, and he felt just as dexterous and mobile as always.

"Now," Zelda said, smiling. "Now you are the Hero of Legend.

Link stood for a moment. He felt powerful, strangely invigorated. He flexed his muscles, and they bulged unusually clearly in the white shirt, whose long sleeves extended out beyond the short-sleeved tunic. He felt like he could lift a tree right out of the ground.

"Come," Zelda said. "To the armory. We'll get you a sword and shield."

"What happened to my sword?" Link asked.

"It got bent in the crash with the throne. It's unusable."

This saddened Link. He had spent two full days of hard, solid work on that sword. Working the bellows to melt the steel for hours on end, pouring the molten liquid into the form, hammering it into perfection for nearly a full day. It was very difficult, and he was proud of that blade. Even his father, the master blacksmith and now Knight of Hyrule, said he wouldn't sell the blade, for, for it to go to waste on display in some rich man's house would be a crime against the Goddesses, he said.

He begrudgingly followed her to the armory. It was full of dozens upon dozens upon dozens of weapons and armour. There were swords, hammers, axes, flails, halberds, spears, tridents, cudgels, daggers, several things he didn't even recognize and many that at which he couldn't begin to guess their purpose. There were helms, cowls, bracers, gauntlets, chest plates, knee guards, pauldrons, boots, shin guards, thigh plates, flexible-looking abdominal pieces, and spiked versions of all in various forms of leather, plate, scale, half-plate, and quarter-plate. There were many kinds of shields, as well, such as bucklers, tower shields, targes, parmas, and rotellas. Link had never seen so many combat items at once.

"You may take any you see here." Zelda said.

Link looked around for a while, eventually finding a broadsword that was mostly balanced in accordance to his tastes and fighting style. He also chose a kite shield. It was surrounded on the edges by silver, and the design background was blue. There was a yellow TriForce above a red Loftwing crest, and on either side of the TriForce there was a silver zig-zag like shape.

They left the castle, Zelda not answering any of the castle staff as they went. People in the streets parted for the Princess, and Link followed in her wake. They went to the stables, where the girl there fetched Epona for Link, after procuring an amazingly white stallion for Zelda.

Zelda mounted the horse, and Link got on Epona. She told him that the Temple was three days away and would have them pass through Konaluth Outpost. Link smiled at the thought.


	8. Chapter 8: Temple

**Chapter 8: Temple**

On the second day of their journey, Zelda had changed into a more civilian-like outfit, not wanting to cause a stir of any sort in Konaluth. As they entered the town, Link was almost immediately met with a very warm welcome. In fact, the civilian-dressed Zelda was almost entirely forgotten about. Link was offered by the Mayor to once again spend the night in his house, and even said that Link's new friend Zoey could stay as well.

They spent a peaceful night at the Mayor's house, Link allowing Zelda to sleep on the only spare bed and he himself sleeping on the floor. They set out early the next morning. They rode most of the day, taking occasional breaks. They were headed towards Darinayse most of the day, but eventually took a different path leading towards Faron Woods. They found a place to sleep in the form of a large tree near the edge of the woods. It was rough and uncomfortable, but it was better than laying on the ground where odd forest critters could get to them.

The next morning, Link managed to catch some fish in the nearby stream for breakfast, and sent Epona to Darinayse Village with a note, and Zelda's steed followed. Together, the two travelled into the forest. Link used his broadsword to clear the overgrown path. Every now and again the occasional cobblestone would appear in the dirt, indicating both decades of neglect and that they were heading the right direction.

After an hour or two, they came to a clearing, where a small spring resided. The water flowed from one half of the spring, which was on a raised level of rock, to a lower level. In either half of the clear pond were standing stones, each with strange markings carved into them.

"What is this place?" Link asked, mystified.

"It is an ancient Spirit Spring." Zelda said. "It is said to be where faeries gather."

Link stepped into the water. He noticed with amazement that each time he lifted his foot, his boot came out of the water completely dry. He moved slowly to the closest of the pale stones. There were dozens of dark lines and symbols on it, none of which Link recognized.

He reached out to it, and when he laid his hand upon it, the symbol on the back of his hand showed clearly, even through his glove. The lines of the stone began glowing gold, as did the markings on the other stones. As the last of the dark marks became brilliantly golden, the water itself lit up too.

The whole area was illuminated for many long, beautiful minutes, before the lights began to fade, ad Link reluctantly removed his hand from the rock.

"What just happened?" Link said, still gazing, enraptured, at the rapidly fading golden lines.

"I… I don't know." Zelda said, stunned herself. "But whatever it was, it was something very important."

The two stayed near the spring through noon for a midday meal of berries and a rabbit that Link caught.

Then they set off again, through the forest once more.

The moved throughout the day, still following the cobblestone path. It was near dusk when they finally found the Temple.

It was a massive stone building, seemingly made of white marble. There were rows of pillars leading up to the entrance, a massive set of golden doors at the top of a flight of stairs. Strangely, the building seemed perfectly preserved.

The pair ascended the steps cautiously, both knowing that the strange man from the Castle could be there, hiding behind any pillar, watching from any tree. The two reached the top, and both realized that the man would not be there. The golden doors were perfectly bare, except for three oddly-shaped indentations.

They would need keys to open the door.

They both turned to each other, simultaneously relieved and worried. While the man hadn't opened the door, he had a head start on finding the keys.

"We… we can't open it," Link said, dropping his shoulders.

"We don't need to." Zelda said. "But we need the keys. We can't let that man have them."

"Do you know where they are?"

"No."

They both stood quiet, before Link turned to head back down the stairs. He reached the edge of the top landing, however, he stopped.

"Princess." He said. She turned to him, and before she could ask what he wanted, she saw it too.

On the back of each pillar were markings, creating a large map of Hyrule when viewed. However, certain markings were only visible to certain bearers of the TriForce. Link saw a strangely shaped gem at the top of Death Mountain. Zelda saw a different gem in the middle of Lake Hylia.

"Death Mountain." Link said, at the same town Zelda uttered "Lake Hylia."

They turned to each other.

"What?" Link asked. "There's one at Death Mountain. See?" he said, pointing.

"No, no. There's one in Lake Hylia. Look." She claimed, pointing at where the lines that created Lake Hylia met.

They argued on the topic for a while, before coming to the conclusion that they each must see a different thing, and that the strange man must have set off to retrieve the third gem from an unknown location. Agreed on the topic, the two left the area, moving back into the forest.

As they left, a man in black armour and green skin came from out of the plant growth from where he had been hiding while he listened to the pair. He walked up the stairs and placed a somewhat circular green gem in the slot where it fit best. Gold from the door slowly began to move and wrap all around its edge, and with a small tail near the bottom.

"Death Mountain and Lake Hylia, eh?" he said, smiling.


End file.
